System: Today's Mission Is to Rewrite History

When Lin Zhao opened his eyes, he had arrived in the first year of Tiansheng, during the Great Song dynasty. A glowing screen hung before him, displaying the “Longevity System”: complete quests to earn lifespan, knowledge, and power; fail a quest, and you would be erased on the spot. The first quest ordered him to save a child about to be trampled by a spooked horse. He did. The second ordered him to collect an unidentified corpse outside Dongshui Gate. He did, and found a bloodstained letter sewn into the corpse's clothes, exposing the biggest grain and salt smuggling case in Bianjing. From then on, the System pushed him onward at every step: entering the Imperial Academy, winning the Jieyuan title, serving at court, investigating corruption, reforming the laws, and defending against the Western Qiang. He reclaimed the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, saved Yue Fei, and pulled the Great Song back from the brink time and again. But gradually, he realized that he could save people, but not change fate. When he saw off his first wife, he was still in the prime of his life. On the night Jingkang fell, his second wife died atop the city walls. When the waters of Yashan rose over the young emperor's head, his third wife smiled and let go of his hand. He lived through the Great Song's three falls, yet could not save himself from a single parting.